One day in the late 1960s, David Crosby urged a young singer to send a demo tape to his manager, David Geffen. Geffen did exactly what most people in the entertainment industry do with unsolicited material from unknown performers -- he threw it away without a listen.
Some time later, Geffen's secretary happened to notice Browne's 8 x 10 glossy in her boss's trash and fished out the tape:
"You know that record and that picture you threw, out?" she asked Geffen the next day. "You go through my garbage?" Geffen asked. "Well, he was so cute that I took it home. And he's very good. Listen to the record."
Geffen agreed... and promptly signed Browne as a client. Moreover, when he failed to convince anyone to sign the young artist, he started his own label (Asylum) and Browne became its first star. Browne, in turn, helped fill out the label's roster with acts like the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt -- and Geffen soon became a billionaire.
Sources
Fred Goodman, Mansion on the Hill
